I absolutely loved this session. Baby Emily is such a doll, and I just adore her. It is so very obvious she is SO very loved. Good job Mom and Dad, she is perfection.
Also, big thanks to Woodsy Wonders Props for such amazing quilts! All quilts used are offered in her shop.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
I haven’t posted in awhile, so I thought I would throw together some of my iphone images from the last week or so. I am totally guilty of using my iphone instead of carrying around my camera all the time, and it used to bother me that I would have an image on my iphone that I wished I had on my real camera… but sometimes its nice just to be able to quickly snap an image in the moment and then tuck my phone back into my pocket. These are some of those quick moments that I have recently snapped. <3
When a sun sets into a golden orange… and you can close your eyes and feel it on your face.. the kind that makes the inside of your eyelids turn red, the kind you can almost smell summer memories in… you can feel your heart let go of the things that do not matter. We are going through some changes in our lives right now… and in the chaos of all the decisions and noise we lose track of the important things. Obstacles get in the way of your hopes and darkness can overwhelm you… but if you can find that one piece of sky that is still shining orange, shut your eyes tight and know that everything will be just as it is supposed to be, then you can remember good things never come easily. It was quiet in the forest yesterday, when I look at these images I can hear the girls giggles echoing through the trees, the distant sound of farm animals, and smell the fresh green grass and wet moss taking over under our toes. Sometimes in chaos all we need is to be still and watch the sunset. That is just what we did. A sunset has the ability to put important things into perspective… and offer the chance to thank God for all of the beauty He is constantly painting around us. Well… I watched… the girls played and danced and twirled. It painted something enchanted in my mind… and hopefully in theirs too. These are the memories I hope to print in their hearts… so that one day, they too, can close their eyes and *feel* the days of their childhood.appy and free… just as a child should be.
This Easter was different… we celebrated my husbands birthday on Friday with his family… and then celebrated Easter on Saturday with my family (and his birthday again, he is just *that* special)… then we just relaxed in our jammies all day Sunday. We had full intentions for a coast trip, but the weather at the coast was rain with another side of rain… so… we opted for a cozy day at home instead. Here are some images from our weekend fun weekend.
Love all of these! Such a cute family, and even John made it in the photos! All I took for Easter pics was some of my grubby grandsons on the trampoline…lol!
lol Thank you Lana! For whatever reason I always manage to get a family pic at least on Easter… its the only Holiday we have consistently had a family image since my husband and I married.
So even the name of this recipe (although a mouthful) makes me giddy with excitement. “Brown Sugar-Vanilla Banana Butter”…. I mean who doesn’t love any of those things? I know I do. For some reason… after a long winter… and spring is just around the corner… I crave jams/fruit butters/and marmalades more than normal…which, lets be honest, I already crave these items in ALL seasons… but I long for them just a tad more when February rolls around. Maybe just because I am ready for warmer days… when I can walk out in the backyard and eat a pear from the tree… or lay in the field with the kids to look at the stars…without freezing. Anyways, this is a favorite recipe from one of my Jam Bibles “Can It” by Better Homes and Gardens. I have a few alterations to mine (for example I do not add any butter into mine, so I will give you my version of the recipe) First… I must start by bragging a little… I think I might just be married to one of the sweetest guys out there. Before we married, I was explaining to someone why I loved my soon-to-be husband so much… one of the reasons that popped out of my mouth was, “he always does sweet things, like bring me flowers.” What I mean to say, was that he was thoughtful, and always attempted to make my day brighter by doing simple sweet gestures, such as bringing me flowers…. anyways, the lady whom I was speaking to, replied, “Yes… but flowers don’t last forever.” Later on when I told my husband about it, he squeezed me with one arm and as he laughed at my sensitiveness to the whole conversation, he whispered, “oh hun, she doesn’t know it… but my flowers DO last forever.” So… every time the mason jars full of flowers start to wilt and dry… he notices and brings me home another bouquet to replace them. This has went on for nearly 5 years now. Thus the reason for the little brag session. 😉
What you will need to create this amazing recipe:
-4 Cups Brown Sugar
-2 Cups Granulated Sugar
-4 Cups Mashed Bananas (about 12 ripe bananas)
-1/2 cup lemon juice
-1.75 ounces (3.5 tablespoons) of fruit pectin
-1 Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise
-1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans
Oh. Hello. This is me in my favorite room of the whoooooole house.
I like to soak my jars in boiling water (just put enough water in the bottom of each jar to weight them down), then set the lid on top of them to allow steam to sterilize the jars and lids. I just put mine on a low/medium heat the whole time I am making my jams/butters. This recipe makes 9 half-pint jars.
Put your 4 cups packed brown sugar into a large bowl.
Then add your 2 cups granulated sugar to the bowl and then set it aside.
If little muchkins happen to run in to help, stop and make them wash their little hands. ;)
Add your Bananas into a cooking pot, I prefer bananas that I am using in a fruit butter to be just a *tad* on the brown spotted side.
Use a whisk or potato masher to mash them up.
Add your 1/2 cup lemon juice into the pot.
Add your pectin into the pot.
Now stir, stir, tell your sister you are big enough to do it on your own, and stir some more.
Okay. Vanilla bean. This little tiny bean was 14.95 at the store. It even came in its very own jar. All by itself. Pretty sure this was as much as the rest of the ingredients added together. I usually buy mine online, but just hadn’t ordered them yet, 25 are 25.00 dollars (less as you buy more) here: http://www.beanilla.com/madagascar-vanilla-beans (<— order them, because I will be doing a blog post on how to make your own vanilla extract with them soon)Now, cut the bean down the center, lengthwise, and scrape out the tiny black seeds into your pot, then drop the bean in also. (Keep it whole you will be removing the actual bean in a couple steps)
Stir, sniff, and stir some more.
Place the pot on medium/high heat on your stove top.
Now instruct the little helpers game of musical chairs somewhere further away from the hot oven.
Once the banana mixture is boiling, stir in the brown sugar/white sugar mixture into the pot. Once sugar is dissolved, pull the long vanilla bean out with a fork.
This is where you can choose to add your chopped pecans if desired. I did half my batch without, and then half with. :)
I like to use a glass pitcher (like my measuring one) to scoop out the hot (be very careful) banana butter and then pour into the jars. It is a little messy, but easier to get it all into the jars. Screw the lids on and place them back into the canning pot you were sterilizing them in. Once it is back to a full boil, then cover and set timer for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool on wire racks.
Spread on some artisan toasted sourdough (or honey wheat, etc.) and enjoy. This is also AMAZING on waffles. :)
Watch your children devour 3-4 pieces of delicious toast.
Wonderful blog post beautiful photos and yummmmmy looking/sounding amazing recipe!! I would love to try this with my girls. Thank you for sharing!
Fellow photographer here! Love your composition, and your recipe looks Devine. In case you ever felt like you weren’t doing what you were supposed to be doing, here’s a friendly reminder from the universe that you ARE. Rock on, Momma! And keep spreading the love.
Do you think this would still be good without the pecans? I have a kiddo with lots of allergies and he could have this without the pecans. I love to have him try new things and this looks DELISH! What are your thoughts? Thank you!
This looks absolutely amazing and your girls and your kitchen are just too cute! Also – thanks for the tip on the vanilla beans – what a great deal – I just stocked up and bought 25!
I have been following your photography work on facebook, I love your work and now I want to enjoy your blog as well
It is delish either way I did half of my batch with, and half without
Awesome! Can not wait to try this recipe! Love your kitchen and blog too! ;o)
Love your story about your hubby, how very sweet!
Love to read your blog and see your photos, its like reading a book, with all the detailed photos, thanks! I will try this soon.
But I don’t think 4 bananas is enough for my huge family lol
I make this recipe about every 2 month , it is the best ever .
Yay!! I love it too! And haven’t made it in awhile, but thinking I need to
I love, love, love your artistry. Thank you so very much for capturing these magical moments of our family
Amazing as always
So glad you are happy with them Audrey!! You have a beautiful little girl, she was so fun to photograph!
Lovely!!!!